(1) Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to computer-assisted project management and more specifically to a method and system for tracking and identifying trends in a project.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
The accurate identification of project trends is extremely important in determining whether a particular project is on schedule and will remain on schedule. Typically a project manager, system analyst, or like individual, selects certain parameters, or metrics, relevant to a project. In complicated projects the number of possible parameters are so large that an individual generally identifies a manageable subset of parameters and then determines variances, correlations and the like of the parameters in the subset manually. Consequently an individual may overlook particularly important parameters. Moreover, the evaluation process is very subjective and different analysts may analyze the same project using different parameters and arrive at different conclusions. Thus, it is possible even for an experienced analyst to overlook certain parameters that might, if they were analyzed individually or in combination with other parameters, provide a conclusion on the basis of a prediction of risk that otherwise would not be identified.
Computers have been used in the field of project management, but their use is usually limited to some specific areas or tasks. For example, United States Letters Patent, 5,229,948 (1993) to Wei et al. discloses a method of optimizing a serial manufacturing system. This method provides a quantitative state-space model of a serial manufacturing system that describes the processing in terms of sensitivity information and performance in terms of part production and storage/retrieval. The method additionally senses new sensitivity information that results from stimulating the manufacturing system with a model using estimate system performance information and adjusting the performance information iteratively by using new sensitivity information in an optimization algorithm to provide an adjustment simultaneously with the simulation.
United States Letters Patent No. 5,452,218 (1995) to Tucker et al. discloses a systems and method for determining quality analysis on fabrication and/or assembly design using shop capability data. Capability data is collected and stored in a database accessible to all users. A worksheet is used to model a manufactured product using process capability data retrieved from the database. The system displays the defects and totals them according to predetermined criteria to produce a measure of quality.
United States Letters Patent No. 5,523, 960 (1996) to Jeong discloses a method for evaluating assembly sequences. The method includes the steps of designing an assembly composed of a plurality of parts, preparing a component relation diagram indicating the joint relation between the plurality of parts, reducing assembly sequences containing infeasible subassemblies by computing weights of all the subassemblies of the respective processes and evaluating the feasible assembly sequences obtained through a function that incorporates data concerning weghting, ease of part joining, tool changes criteria and other criteria.
United States Letters Patent No. 5,615,138 (1997) to Tanaka et al. discloses a method for establishing the working mantime in a production line. This method includes numerically evaluating the work volume for a work station performed in each production process and representing the numeralized work volume as a normal work mantime. A numerical evaluation of the fatigue extent of each fatigue task as fatigue score is added to the normal work mantime. The fatigue score is also assigned a fatigue recovery mantime and the normal work mantime, which included the fatigue recovery mantime, is leveled as uniform thereby establishing a new production process which includes level fatigue mantime.
United States Letters Patent No. 5,692,125 (1997) to Schloss et al. discloses a system and method for scheduling linked events with fixed and dynamic conditions. Events are also checked at one or more times between a scheduling time and a performance time. During this check, certain dynamic conditions associated with events are checked to determine whether dynamic conditions are satisfied. If they are, the events are confirmed for performance. If one or more dynamic conditions are not satisfied, the events are modified. Events can be modified by canceling, altering or postponing. When an event is modified, a notification is transmitted and modification may cause one or more subsequent events to be modified.
Each of the foregoing references discloses a system directed to a particular narrow aspect of project management such as quality and timing. None suggest any method or apparatus for providing quantitative data that can be used to evaluate overall project performance and the steps to be taken to maintain performance. Moreover, each of these methods responds only to limited subsets of data so the data being used is not comprehensive with respect to an entire project.